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RV Trade Digest features highlights of this year’s RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Fleetwood, Winnebago, and Gulf Stream were just a few of the many manufacturers displaying their latest RVs for the coming year.

A standout at the show was National RV’s new space-saving telescoping slideout room, providing ample space inside the RV cabin, even when retracted.

Gulf Stream’s SuperNova Type C made a big impression with powerful towing capacity and Type A-like features.

Winnebago offered a new Type A motorhome with improved storage.

Business appears to have been brisk from the start of the show, generated by a positive reaction to the variety of the new products.

With features ranging from deluxe kitchens to home theaters, it is hard to think of what other luxuries you could fit on an RV.

How about a Sauna?

The Grand Rapids press features a story on how Grand Packaging has developed an infrared-heated sauna, meant specifically for installation in RVs.

The unit heats to 150 degrees within 15 minutes for 60 minutes of dry heat. According to the manufacturers, the challenge was to make the sauna not only compact, but also high-efficiency, drawing power from an RV’s onboard generator.

Another advantage of the RV sauna is the use of infrared heat, which heats without the danger of burning the skin.

Could you eat Thanksgiving dinner outdoors, using paper plates and plastic forks?

The San Diego Union Tribune features a story on how RVers Donna And Russ Shelton have celebrated Thanksgiving in an RV park for over 16 years, sharing their holiday with over 40 members of their family.

They are not alone. According to a survey by the RVIA, 37 Percent of RV owners planned to spend this Thanksgiving on the road, along with 23 percent who plan to travel in their RVs for Christmas/Hanukkah.

RV parks are seeing big business thanks to holiday RV travelers, with some parks booking up to full capacity well in advance.

With the luxuries that many RVs now feature, ranging from electrical generators to flat-screen TVs, spending the holidays on the road without “roughing it” is not difficult.

Do you plan to spend this Holiday traveling in your RV? Leave a comment and tell us your story.

Hometownlife.com features a story about Ken Halloran, a 63 year old RVer that turned a collection of Emails about his RV adventures into his first published book.

Travel Tales: An Old Retiree, His RV, His Dog, and His Woman (not necessarily in order of preference)Hit the Road was published when Halloran’s friends suggested he submit his humorous emails about his RV adventures to a publisher. Expecting to be rejected like most first-time writers, Halloran was pleasantly surprised when the publisher agreed to print his stories in a 254 page book.

Halloran’s stories are told from his dog’s point of view, ranging from a dispute over a campground space with grumpy fellow Rvers, to a rough and smelly encounter with a defensive skunk.

Want to create your own RV adventures that you can write your own book about? Check out the selection of RVs on RV Trader Online.

RVs offer their owners the comforts of home, ranging from air conditioning, Internet access, and high-definition home theater.

Now RVers are bringing another comfort of home along for the ride: their pets.

According to a story on The Gainesville Times website, 19% of travelers are bringing their pets with them on the trip. More hotels and resorts are allowing pets to stay with guests, up 28% since 1999 according to the American Auto Association.

RVs allow for more flexibility when traveling with pets, but some animals might require some adjusting to life on the road. One RVing couple brings their cats along on their travels. To help the felines adjust to the RV environment before a trip, they spend a night in the RV’s cabin while parked in the driveway.

The story also features a handy checklist on what to bring for your pet on you RV journey.

Do you travel with your dog or cat in your RV? How do you prepare your RV for your pets? Leave a comment below and share your story.

Wi-Fi hotspots are found everywhere, from coffee shops to bookstores. Now your RV can become a Wi-Fi hotspot with TracNet, a service profiled on Boston.com.

TracNet works by using cell phone services from Verizon, giving users access to the Internet from in-vehicle video screens or laptop computers. TracNet helped a user who was having a tough time finding parking for his camper van, till his daughter saved the day by finding RV friendly parking online. Boat, SUV, and car owners can use TracNet too.

There are limitations to TracNet’s access. Your vehicle needs to be within range of cell towers to connect to the service. The price of $1995 plus monthly fees may be a little steep for some users.

As more RVs video screens are sold, along with use of RVs as home offices, so will the demand for RV internet access.

Are you using a service like TracNet? Do you use it for work or recreation? Tell us your story and leave a comment below!

Used RVs are switching from the campground to the crime scene, serving law enforcement as mobile command centers.
The Herald Online reports on a RV used by the police of Rock Hill, South Carolina, purchased through classified ads and later modified for police work.

The RV’s enhancements include high-powered video cameras, wireless internet connections for laptop computers, and a locating system that tracks the location of police cars.

The mobile unit serves police functions ranging from DUI checkpoints to a command center during murder investigations.

The Rock Hill Police RV program is inspiring other law-enforcement agencies purchase their own RVs.

Do you work in law enforcement and use RVs in your service? Send us an e-mail or leave a comment and tell us your story. Also check out the selection of RVs on RV Trader Online.

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“One million Americans today are living in homes on wheels” boasts the announcer of an old 1937 newsreel featured on rv.tv, giving a glimpse back to the early days of the RV lifestyle.

Welcome to 1937 and the RV park of Trailer City, Florida, where over 1000 RVs and their vacationers are relaxing under towering palm trees. Parking is $1 for a week and electricity is 25 cents.

21st century RVers watching this newsreel might have a good laugh…or cringe. No DVD player or Ipods in these tiny early RVs, just the car radio. Probably no air-conditioning either on those hot Florida days.

This old newsreel is quaint, but does make you realize how much RVing has changed in 70 years, and how it is still about the adventure of the open road.

Some residents in Burbank, California consider RVs a driving hazard, even when they are parked. According to the Burbank Leader, The Traffic and Transportation Committee of Burbank is engaged in a public discussion with residents, considering changes to the city codes governing RV parking.

Complaints about RVs in driveways range from the cosmetic, claiming that the vehicles are unsightly, to traffic visibility worries when RVs are parked near busy intersections.

RV owners respond that they have few options to store their vehicles, countering that off-site storage is scarce and costly.

For RV owners in Burbank and beyond, this is sure to be a hot issue.

What do you think? Do you keep your RV in a storage facility? What would you suggest for Burbank RV owners? Post a comment and let us know.